Machine for assembling strips of fasteners and method of assembling



Sept. 10, 1968 K. c. PEARSON 3,401,072

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING 9Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 22, 1965 EL M Sept. 10, 1968 K. c.PEARSON 3,401,072

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLINGOriginal Filed Aug. 22, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 10, 1968 K. c.PEARSON 3,401,072

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLINGOriginal Filed Aug. 22, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 y 9 m 7676*1/ Jug 7/ZWZ/CPem/aw?) 93 7 A/ M M #W P 10, 1958 K. c. PEARSON 3,

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLINGOriginal Filed Aug. 22, 1963 9 SheetsSheet 4 Sept. 10, 1968 K. c.PEARSON 3,401,072

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING RIPS OF FASTENERS AND EMBLING METHOD OF OriginalFiled Aug. 22, 1963 9 Sheets-5heet 5 p 10, 1963 K. c. PEARSON 3,401,072

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLINGOriginal Filed Aug. 22, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet 6- 3,401 ,072 AND K. C.PEARSON Sept. 10, 1968 MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS METHODOF ASSEMBLING 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 Original Filed Aug. 22, 1963 P 10, 1968K. c. PEARSON 3,401,072

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLINGOriginal Filed Aug. 22, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 ZO g5 K. C. PEARSON Sept.10, 1968 MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS OF FASTENER$ AND METHOD OFASSEMBLING 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Criginal Filed Aug. 22, 1963 QQW WWW Q QNPLE:

United States Patent 3,401,072 MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING STRIPS 0F FAS-TENERS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING Kenneth C. Pearson, Glenview, Ill.,assignor to Signode Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Continuationof application Ser. No. 303,898, Aug. 22, 1963. This application June21, 1967, Ser. No. 647,875 18 Claims. (Cl. 156-250) This application isa continuation of applicants application Ser. No. 303,898, filed Aug.22, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a method for assembling strips of fastenersand to a machine for assembling loose nails into an adhered strip foruse in a nail driving tool.

Both manual and pneumatically operated fastener driving tools have beenused to drive fasteners such as staples and T-nails. More recently,these tools have been designed to handle common nails that have beenslightly moditied to permit their use in suitably designed magazines. Atool of this general type is disclosed in Lingle et al. application Ser.No. 152,426, filed Nov. 15, 1961, now US. Patent No. 3,106,136, assignedto the assignee of the present invention.

The heads of the nails in question are modified so that the shanks ofadjacent nails can be juxtaposed. One such modification consists of anail head having a portion taken along a chord line that is tangent witha projection of the nail shank. With this design, the adjacent nails canbe assembled with their heads overlapped in a stepped relationship andtheir shanks disposed in abutting relationship throughout substantiallytheir entire length. By assembling the nails in this way, an adhered rowof nails can be made Whatever length desired. The elongated strip canthen be cut into strips of suitable lengths for use in a magazine of apneumatic fastening driving tool, or the like.

The nail shanks are subsequently bonded together by an adhesive whichmakes for a very flexible yet very strong stick of nails that canwithstand rough usage without breaking. This permits the magazine to beloaded at an appreciable speed without fear of the strip breaking intolittle pieces. To further insure against breakage of the nail strip, itmay be reinforced along its length one one or both sides, as desired, by'a thin synthetic plastic film that is superimposed over the adhesivewhen in a liquid state.

The method and machine hereinafter described will he directed toward theassembling of strips of the aforementioned type of slightly modifiedcommon nails, but it should be understood that the advantages of theinvention may be utilized in assembling strips of nails or fasteners ofother configurations.

There is descirbed hereinbelow one embodiment of a machine in whichnails received at random are first aligned into nested rows, thenadhered together and finally cut into strips suitable for use in afastening tool. All the operations are effected automatically so thatlabor operations are kept at a minimum.

A fastener assembling machine forming an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention is designed to handle common nails in which the headhas been shaved on one side thereof to where it is tangent with aprojection of the nail shank. The head of the nail when so formedresembles a half-moon, which configuration permits assembly of the nailsin strip form.

The apparatus for assembling an adhered strip of these nails includes avibratory feeder that lines up nails in a row and directs them into adownwardly extending track. The track is designed so that the nailsdisposed therein will be similarly oriented. The shank and co- 3,401,072Patented Sept. 10, 1968 extensive straight head portion of the nailengages one wall of the track and the radially extending portion of thehead engages the top of the other wall of the track.

Intermediate the ends of the track, there is provided a solenoidoperated device that controls the movement of the nails in the track tofurther orient the nail heads so that the nail heads overlap each otherin a tiered manner.

The heads of the nails in the track are overlapped in a tiered manner,but the nails are not nested since the straight section of the head isnot placed in contact with the shank of the adjacent nail. In thisarrangement, the shanks of the adjacent nails are spaced apart by anamount equal to the radially extending portion of the nail head. Todirect the nails into the proper nested relationship on the conveyorwhere they are to be adhered together, the track defines at its lowerend a curved guide section. The guide section is designed so that thenails therein are moved from the vertical to the horizontal position.During this movement, the nail heads remain tiered, but the pointed endsof the adjacent nails converge. The track, and thus the nails exitingfrom the guide section are angularly disposed relative to the directionof movement of the conveyor on which they are to be located so that whenthey are placed thereon they will nest. That is to say, when the nailsare deposited on the conveyor, the heads will overlap each other in astepped relationship and shanks will be disposed parallel to each other.

The conveyor supports the nails in their prescribed relationship andmoves them along from station to station where they are adhered togetherinto an elongated row and subsequently cut into short strips. Theconveyor includes a pair of looped notched straps that extendsubstantially parallel to each other. Each of the straps extends arounda pair of longitudinally spaced sprockets that define the extreme endsof the conveyor. The adjacent runs of the straps are spaced apart adistance less than the length of the nail shank and form the supportsfor the opposite end portions of the nail shanks. The straps are drivenby a motor through suitable gearing mechanism connected to the shafts towhich the drive sprockets are secured.

The notches formed in each of the straps are generally semicircular, andthe diameter thereof is slightly larger than the diameter of the nailshank. Since the nails placed on the conveyor are nested and angular'lydisposed relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor, the endportion of the nail shank is located in a notch of one of the strapsthat is several notches forward of the one in which the portion of theshank adjacent the head end is located. The angle at which the nails arelocated on the notched straps is determined by the gun magazine in whichit is to be used and this angle is critical to prevent jamming of thenail in the driving chamber and keep the driver blade from picking upmore than one nail. In this position, the nail heads 'Will beoverlapped, and the shanks, although parallel, will be spaced apartslightly. The spacing and angular relationship between the nail shankscan be varied by longitudinally moving one of the straps relative to theother when the conveyor is not operating, if such is desired.

To facilitate accurate positioning of the nails in the notches of thestraps, a plurality of magnets are located at the receiving end of theconveyor. There are also provided suitable guide means at the junctureof the exit end of the track and the nail receiving end of the conveyorto further insure proper positioning of the nail on the notched straps.

The continuously operating conveyor moves the nested nails disposedthereon to a first station where an adhesive is applied to the nails.The adhesive flows along the upper 3 surface of the nails and throughthe spacing between the nails against a wiper pad biased against theundersurface of the row of nails. The pad spreads the adhesive so thatthe row of nails will be supplied with adhesive on both sides thereof.

While the invention is not limited to a specific adhesive, one that hasbeen used successfully contains a solvent to provide for easy flowing ofthe adhesive when it is being applied to the nails. With such anadhesive, as is the case in the present machine, a hot air blower isemployed to carry off the solvent after the adhesive has been applied.

After the adhesive is applied and the solvent blown off, one of theadjacent parallel runs of a notched strap is moved toward the other toplace the nail shanks into abutting relationship and locate them at thecorrect angle for use in the magazine of a fastener driving tool. Thismakes for a tight, compact strip of nails having a strong bond betweenthe shanks. The closely knit adhered row of nails may then be passedunder a heater, where the adhesive is cured. The properties of theadhesive selected include one which permits a swinging connectionbetween adjacent nails. This eliminates the problem of brittlenesscommon with current sticks of adhered fasteners.

To further insure against separation of the nails, a plastic tape isapplied along both sides of the adhered row of nails. In the illustratedembodiment, a Mylar tape is used which is applied when the adhesive issoftened by heat. However, other tapes, such as "pressure sensitivetapes, could be used. Thus, if the adhesive between two adjacent nailscracks, the strip will be retained intact by the tape superimposed overthe adhesive. This taping is accomplished by providing a roll of tapeadjacent opposite sides of the nail strip and attaching it to theadhesive previously deposited on the nail row.

The adhered and taped strip of nails, which is still relatively hot dueto the application of heat to cure the adhesive, is then cooled by anappropriately positioned cooling system.

The nails, although in adhered form, are still in one continuous stripwhich must be cut into strips of a predetermined length to fit into amagazine of a nail gun. This, of course, can be done in any number ofways as, for example, by an automatically operated knife assemblylocated adjacent the exit end of the conveyor. The knife assemblyincludes a knife disposed parallel to the line of contact betweenadjacent nail shanks so that when it is actuated, it will sever the tapeand adhesive between two adjacent nails to cut the elongated row intostrips of a predetermined length. The knife may be controlled by aswitching mechanism that is actuated in accordance with the movement ofone of the notched straps to insure that the elongated nail row is cutinto identical strips of a given length. After the strips are cut offthey are then emptied into a container, or other suitable receptacle.

The foregoing advantages and numerous other features and advantages ofthe invention will be more readily understood and appreciated in thelight of the following specification, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which there is disclosed an illustrativeembodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a plan view of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of the nail receiving end of theconveyor;

FIGURE 3 is an elevation view illustrating the mechanism for controllingthe movement of the nails down the track;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but with the mechanisms indifferent positions;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a view taken on lines 66 of FIGURE 2 and shows the exit endof the track illustrating how the nails are disposed on the conveyor;

FIGURE 7 is a view showing the drive for the conveyor;

FIGURE 8 is a view taken on lines 8-8 of FIGURE 2 illustrating theconnection between a drive sprocket and a notched strap;

FIGURE 9 is a view taken on lines 99 of FIGURE 2 showing the guidesprovided for the straps and nails;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the strap and nail guide ofFIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 9 taken on lines 11-11 of FIGURE2;

FIGURE 12 is a view taken on lines 1212 of FIG- URE 2 and shows theposition of the magnets relative to the nail and conveyor guide means;

FIGURE 13 is an elevation view illustrating the apparatus for applyingadhesive to the row of spaced nails;

FIGURE 14 is a view of the upper glue block, taken along lines 1414 ofFIGURE 13;

FIGURE 15 is a view of the lower glue block, taken on lines 1515 ofFIGURE 13;

FIGURE 16 is a cross-sectional view taken through the upper and lowerglue block assembly;

FIGURE 17 is a plan view showing the nails in spaced relationship topermit the adhesive to flow between adjacent nail shanks;

FIGURE 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 18-18 of FIGURE17;

FIGURE 19 is a view showing the notched straps moved close together,wherein the nail shanks are in abutting relationship;

FIGURE 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 20-20 of FIGURE19;

FIGURE 21 illustrates a finished strip of nails;

FIGURE 22 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the headsof the adjacent nails in the adhered strip;

FIGURE 23 is a plan view of the tape feeding apparatus;

FIGURE 24 is a side elevation taken on lines 2424 of FIGURE 23 andillustrating both the upper and lower tape applying assemblies;

FIGURE 25 is a view taken on lines 25-25 of FIG- URE 1 illustrating theblower mechanism for carrying off the solvent in the adhesive;

FIGURE 26 is a plan view of the delivery end of the conveyor includingthe means for cutting the elongated strip into short lengths; and

FIGURE 27 is an elevation view of the knife and a portion of theactuating means therefor for cutting the nail strip into sections takenalong lines 2727 of FIG- URE 26.

Referring to the drawings and, particularly, to FIG- URES 1 and 2, thereis shown an illustrative embodiment of a machine comprising, (1) afeeding, aligning, and guiding system A, which takes nails from a feederand lines them up for disposition on a conveyor in a nested relationshipwith their heads overlapped and their shanks juxtaposed; (2) a conveyorand drive means therefor B which moves the nails in their nestedposition from station to station during which the individual nails areadhered together; (3) an adhesive applying system C located adjacent thereceiving end of the conveyor for applying an adhesive to the nails; (4)a taping station D for taping the nails; (5) a knife assembly E forcutting the adhered strip into short segments; and (6) an exit conveyorF for directing the short segments into a receptacle.

Feeding, aligning and guiding mechanism A As previously indicated, thenails 2 assembledby this machine are of the common variety and differtherefrom only in that one side of the generally circular head 2a hasbeen shaved off along a chord line 2c that is substantially tangent to aprojection of the nail shank 2b. The resultant head is in the shape of ahalf-moon.

The shaved nails 2 are dumped into a hopper 4 of. a vibratory feeder 6which could be any one of a number of those commercially available. Thefeeder 6 locates the nails 2 in a row and directs them into a suitableorientating mechanism (not shown) secured to the hopper 4 from wherethey are directed into a track assembly 8.

The track assembly 8 consists of a pair of downwardly extending parallelplates 10, 12 between which the nail shanks 2b move. The plates arespaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the nailshank 2b, but less than the shortest diameter of the nail head 2a, sothat the nail cannot drop between the plates. As shown in FIGURE 5,plate extends above plate 12, so that the nails as received from theorientator are retained in the track with the shank and chord portion ofthe nail resting flush against plate 10 and the oppositely disposed,radially extending, overhanging head portion resting on top of plate 12,or on top of the head of an adjacent nail. Thus, the nails entering thetrack will have their head portions similarly disposed, but overlapping,and their shanks parallel but spaced apart by the width of the radiallyextending head portion.

In order to locate the nails on the conveyor in a nested arrangement,they must first be positioned in the track 8 with their heads 2a in atiered relationship. That -is to say, the head of any given nail in thetrack must overlap the head of the nail that preceded it down the track.To obtain this relationship, a solenoid operated plunger assembly 14 isprovided intermediate the ends of the track. The plunger assembly 14accomplishes the desired result by spacing the movement of the nailsdown the track so that the nails are given su-flicient opportunity toassume the desired position, which they will do because of the downwardinclination of the track. The plunger assembly 14 includes a solenoid 16that operates to move plunger 18 into and out of the space 20 betweenthe plates 10, 12. When the plunger 18 is moved into space 20, itcontacts the nail shanks 2b to stop their downward movement until thepreceding nail has had sufiicient time to become properly oriented. Theoperation of solenoid 16 is controlled by a switch 22 that includes aresilient sensing finger 24 located in the space 20 downstream of theplunger 18. When the sensing finger 24 is contacted by a nail shank, itis moved to the position shown in FIGURE 4 to energize the solenoid 16to move the plunger 18 into the space 20 and halt the flow of nails inthe track. After the nail has passed, the sensing finger springs back(see FIGURE 3), and the plunger 18 is retracted to allow succeedingnails to move down the track. This interconnection between switch 22 andsolenoid 16 results in an intermittent flow of nails down the track,which action permits the nails to assume the required position.

There is also located adjacent the track a vibrator 26 which facilitatesmovement of the nails down the track.

The lower end of the track assembly 8' leading to conveyor 28, thedetails of which will be described hereinafter, consists of a pair ofnon-magnetic plate members 30, 32 that are secured to the lower ends ofthe track members 10, 12, respectively. These plates 30, 32 comprise thelower or exit portion of the track and define a curved track section 34within which the row of nails is moved in the same plane from thevertical to horizontal positions. The curved track section is designedso that during the movement of the nails therein, the nail heads remaintiered, but the adjacent shanks converge (see FIGURE 6). The nails areprevented from moving outwardly from the track by a non-magnetic plate3b connected to plate that covers the nail heads 2a. The plates 30, 32,36 are angularly disposed relative to the direction of movement of theconveyor 28, which angular disposition is required in order to place thenails on the conveyor with their heads nested and their shanksjuxtaposed (see FIGURES 1 and 2).

Referring particularly to FIGURE 6, there are shown some of the detailsof the exit end of the curved track section, which details insure thatthe nails are properly positioned on the conveyor. This structureincludes a pair of vertical guides 42, 44 disposed adjacent the head andtip end of the nail shank to adjust the clearance in the track. Disposedintermediate these supports 42, 44 are a pair of rollers 46, 48 topermit clearance of jammed or bent nails that are mounted on a shaft 50journaled at their ends in supports 42, 44.

The nails are properly positioned on the conveyor by a longitudinallyextending guide plate '52 disposed adjacent the entrance end of theconveyor and extending substantially the full length thereof.

Conveyor and drive means therefor B The conveyor 28 onto which the nailsare emptied from the track 8 receives and retains the nails in a nestedrelationship and moves them past a series of stations, where (1) anadhesive is applied; (2) the adhesive is cured; (3) the nails are tapedwhen the adhesive is still in a liquid form; (4) the taped and adheredassemblage is cooled; and (5) the adhered row is cut into shortsections. The structural details of this conveyor and the mechanism fordriving same are described hereinafter.

The portion of the conveyor system that carries the nails consists ofadjacent, substantially parallel, runs 60a, 62a of synchronously drivennotched straps 60, 62 that are spaced apart an amount less than thelength of the nail shanks that are to be adhered together. The notches60b, 62b of the straps 60, 62, respectively, are generally semicircularand have a diameter slightly larger than the shank (see FIGURE 18).However, the nail shanks are received and supported in an angularlydisposed position relative to the direction of movement of the conveyorwith the result that the cross-sections of the nail shanks areelliptical and thus the nails will not come to rest in the positionshown dotted in FIGURE 18.

As illustrated in FIGURE 17, the nails, when received from the guidetrack are, by way of example only, disposed at an angle of approximatelyto the direction of movement of the conveyor. In this position, theheads 2a are overlapped in a stepped relationship, and the shanks areslightly spaced apart to permit the flow of adhesive therebetween and togive the nails more time to fall into the notches. The ellipticalcross-section of the nail shank taken at run a (FIGURE 18) has a majordiameter that exceeds that of the notch and results in the nail beingsupported on the upper edges of the notch. This design makes forpositive positioning of the nails on the conveyor and prevents jammingthereof.

After the adhesive has been applied, the strap section 62a is movedcloser to strap section 60a to decrease the angle between the nailshanks and the direction of movement of the conveyor. In this position,as shown in FIGURE 19, the adjacent nail shanks contact each other alongsubstantially their entire length. When the nail shanks are moved inthis direction, the cross-section of the nail shank taken along strap60a while remaining elliptical has a slightly larger major diameterwhich results in the shanks 2b abutting each other (see FIGURE 20).

The notched strap '62 is disposed around a pair of sprockets 64, 66located at the opposite ends of the conveyor 28 and the notched strap 60extends around sprockets 68, 70 located adjacent sprockets 64, 66,respectively. The notched strap 60 is substantially parallel to notchedstrap 62 and is driven in synchronism therewith to maintain the nestednails in their proper position. The drive sprockets 64, 68 for thestraps 60, 62, respectively, are connected to the upper end of theirrespective drive shafts 72, 74. The drive shafts 72, 74 are rotated byidentical interengaging spur gears 76, 78 secured to their respectivelower ends. The spur gear 76' is driven by a motor 80 throughintermediate gears 82, 84, 86 (see FIGURES 2 and 7). Thus, operation ofmotor 80 will rotate sprockets 64, 68, and notched straps 60, 62 insynchronism and at exactly the same speed.

It is essential that the notched straps be prevented from slippingrelative to their sprockets since the relationship between the notches60b, 62b of the parallel runs 60a,

62a must be accurately maintained to retain the nails in their properposition throughout their travel on the conveyor. To this end, thenotched straps 60, 62 are provided with a plurality of uniformly spacedholes 600, 62c throughout its length. These holes are designed toreceive circumferentially spaced pins 96 that are press-fitted into thedrive sprockets 64, 68 for both notched straps (see FIGURE 8). Since aportion of each notched strap is at all times held against slidingmovement relative to its respective drive sprocket by the pins 96, thepreset relationship between the parallel runs 60a, 62a that support thenails will always be maintained.

The relationship between the notched straps can be adjusted beforestarting the conveyor by a slight rotation of the sprocket 64 relativeto the shaft 72 to which it is secured. This is accomplished byloosening the nut 98 that secures the sprocket 64 to the shaft 72 andadjusting the position of the sprocket relative thereto by screws g 100,102 threaded into plate 104 keyed to the shaft 72.

The generally parallel strap sections 60a, 62a on which the nails aremoved from station to station are guided throughout its length by aplurality of longitudinally spaced guide means, as illustrated inFIGURES 1, 2, 9, 10, 11 and 12. The straps are guided adjacent theirdrive sprockets by a pair of spaced guides 106, 108 and a pair of rollerassemblies 110, 112. As shown in detail in FIGURES 2 and 12, the strapsthen pass through slots 114a, 116a formed in guide blocks 114, 116secured to base plate 117. Longitudinally spaced from guide blocks 114,116 are additional pairs of guide blocks 118, 120, respectively, thatare secured to a base plate 122 which is connected to the undercarriage124 of the conveyor 28. Also, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 13, rollerassemblies 115 located intermediate the ends of the conveyors areprovided for guiding the strap sections 60a, 620.

In addition to the guide means for the notched straps, there are alsoprovided suitable guides for maintaining the nails thereon in theirproper horizontal relationship and from overlapping adjacent nails. Theheads of the nails are guided by a longitudinally extending horizontalplate 52 that is supported by suitably positioned brackets. For example,the plate 52 is fixed in place at one place to a bracket 128 by threadedplugs 130, 132 (see FIG- URE 9).

The nails are prevented from overlapping adjacent nails by verticallypositioned guide plates 134, 136. The plate 134 is in alignment withstrap section 6011 and is supported in bracket 128 by threaded plugs138, 140. The plate 136 is similarly supported relative to strap section62a and is connected to bracket 142 disposed adjacent bracket 128. Thebrackets 128, 142 are bolted to the conveyor undercarriage 124 (seeFIGURE 9).

The horizontal and vertical guides for the nail row are supported alongitudinally spaced places along the length of the conveyor. One suchsupport area is shown in FIGURE 11. Briefly, transversely spacedbrackets 119, 121 support guides 134, 136 by screws 123, 125,respectively. The horizontal guide 52 is fastened to bracket 119 byscrew 127. The brackets are in turn secured to the conveyorundercarriage. The support for the horizontal guide 52 and verticalguides 134, 136 at the entry end of the conveyor are illustrated inFIGURE 12. The support at this point is very similar to that shown inFIGURE 9 in that threaded plug 129a secures the horizontal guide 52 inplace and threaded plug 12% clamps vertical guide 134 in bracket 131.Similarly threaded plugs 133 are provided to secure guide 136 relativeto bracket 135.

As previously mentioned, the nails are angularly disposed on the notchedstraps relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor. Thisrelationship is preset so that the adjacent nail heads overlap and theirshanks are slightly spaced apart. As will be discussed hereinafter indetail, this spacing is provided to permit the application of adhesiveto the undersurface of the nail row and give the nails more time to fallinto the notches. Subsequent to the applying of the adhesive, the nailshanks are moved together to provide for a tighter bond between theadjacent shanks. This is accomplished by moving the nails through asmall angle in the direction of the movement of the conveyor. Thismovement is effected by moving the strap section 62a toward strapsection a, which is accomplished by moving strap section 62a through aguide 144 schematically illustrated between FIGURES 17 and 19. It is tobe noted that although the shanks are juxtaposed, as shown in FIGURE 19,the nail heads, while in a nested stepped relationship, are slightlyspaced apart, as shown in FIGURE 22.

It remains to note that the nylon blocks 114, 116 located at theentrance end of the conveyor support therebetween a plurality of magnets146 that aid in depositing the nails on the conveyor and keep the headsfrom rotating.

Adhesive applying system C The nested nails are first moved by theconveyor 28 to a station where an adhesive is applied for adhering thenails together. The adhesive is applied in the liquid state against theupper surface of the nail row. The adhesive then flows through thespaces between the adjacent nail shanks to the undersurface of the nailrow. An adhesive that could be used is a saturated linear terephthalatecopolyester adhesive which contains a solvent to obtain the properflowing action. Adhesives such as modified synthetic rubber types, orother polyesters, could also be employed, if desired. An adhesive suchas a thermoplastic material applied in the molten state, which did notrequire a solvent, could also be used.

The use of such an adhesive makes for a flexible yet very strong stickof nails which can withstand rough usage without breaking. The type ofadhesive selected should in addition to strength and resiliency haveless inherent cohesive strength than the adhesive bond to the nails.This latter property would result in a part of the adhesive surroundingeach nail sticking thereto thus eliminating the possibility of any givennail being left with all the adhesive surrounding it, which could bringabout clogging of the tool used for driving the nails.

The adhesive is stored in a reservoir (not shown) which is connectedthrough a conduit 148 to an upper block 150. The adhesive flows througha slot 152 in the block onto the upper surface of the nail shanks andthrough the spaces formed between adjacent nail shanks. The glue block150 includes a wiper pad 154 located forward of the slot 152 whichfunctions to more evenly distribute the adhesive over the shanks of thenails and into the spaces formed therebetween. The upper block 150 andassociated wiper pad 154 are biased into engagement with the uppersurface of the nail row by a weight 156 connected to one end of a crankarm 158. The crank 158 is connected at its other end to the block 150and is pivotally mounted at an intermediate point to a rod 160 securedto the conveyor frame.

The adhesive that flows between the nail shanks is directed against awiper pad 162 located in a lower block 164. A wiper pad 166 locatedforward of the pad 162 aids in the even distribution of the adhesivealong the undersurface of the row of nail shanks. The lower block 164 isretained in place against the underside of the nail row by a weight 168secured to the opposite end of a lever arm 170 pivotally connected at anintermediate point to the rod 160.

After the glue has been applied (which is a continuous operation), theadhered nails are moved by the conveyor to a second station where a hotair blower 172 for carrying off the solvent contained in the adhesive togive it the desired flow characteristics is located. This is done toreduce the amount of time necessary to cure the adhesive by a curingmeans located at a subsequent station of the conveyor.

After the adhesive has been applied, and the solvent blown off, the nailshanks are moved closer together by moving notched strap 62 towardnotched strap 60. With the nail shanks in an abutting relationship (seeFIGURE 19), there results a tighter bond between the adjacent nails andreduces the likelihood that the adjacent nails will be separated duringsubsequent handling.

The adhered row of nails is then passed under a heater 174 where theadhesive is cured to fix the adhesive to the nails. The blower andheater are suitably secured to the conveyor frame.

Taping mechanism D The row of nails is then moved to a taping station,where a tape such as a thin Mylar polyester film 175 is simultaneouslyapplied along both sides thereof. The Mylar tape is applied when theadhesive is still in a sticky condition and assists in retaining thenails in strip form.

The taping assembly consists of a pair of taping rolls 176, 178 that arerotatably mounted on opposite ends of a vertically extending supportmember 180 which is in turn secured to the undercarriage of the conveyor(see FIGURES 23 and 24). The upper taping roll 176 is rotatably mountedon a shaft 182 connected at its outer end to the vertical support 180.The tape is guided onto the nail row over relatively small rollers 184,186 and then over a larger roller 188. The three rollers 184, 186, 188are rotatably supported on a downwardly inclined bracket 190 that ispivotally mounted on the shaft 182. The bracket 190 is resilientlybiased against the roll 176 by a collar 192 that is held in frictionalengagement with the bracket 190 by a compression spring 194.

The lower roll of tape 178 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 194journalled in a bracket 180 and the end of the tape from roll 178extends over a plurality of rollers 198, 200, 202 rotatably supported byan upwardly extending plate 204. The plate 204 is fixed relative to theshaft 194, and once positioned, will be held in place against theunderside of the nail row.

After the tape has been applied, the conveyor moves the adhered andtaped nails between a pair of blower ducts 206, 208 that direct airagainst both sides of the nail strip to cool and set the adhesiveadhering the strip of nails so that it can be subsequently handled. Theblower mechanism 210 for supplying the cool air is shown in FIGURE 25.

Knife assembly E After the adhered and taped row of nails passes theblower within which it is cooled, it is in condition ready.

to be cut into suitable lengths for use in a mailer magazine. The row ofnails is severed into strips of a given length by a knife assemblydisposed adjacent the end of the conveyor 28. The knife 212 is actuatedin response to the movement of the notched straps so that the strips cutfrom the elongated row will all be the same length. The details of theknife 212 and support therefor, and the switch controlled hydraulicsystem for regulating the movement of the knife are not a critical partof the present invention since various cutting devices could be used.

As shown in FIGURE 27, the knife 212 is secured to a sleeve 214 which isin turn pinned to a piston rod 216 that extends outwardly from the fluidactuated cylinder 218. The other end of rod 216 is guided in a groove in21 depending bracket 222 to a frame structure 224 connected to theconveyor undercarriage. The cylinder 218, rod 216, and knife 212 arelocated adjacent the tip end of the nail shanks and are disposedparallel to a line of contact between adjacent shanks, so that actuationthereof will cut through the tape and adhesive interconnecting adjacentshanks to cut a strip of nails from the adhered row. As will bedescribed in detail hereinafter, the operation of the knife iscontrolled by the movement of one of the notched straps to effect atimely operation of the knife.

The operation of the cylinder 218 is controlled by a solenoid operatedvalve control system 226 located at one end of the cylinder 218.Actuation of the solenoid valve system regulates the flow of fluid tothe opposite side of the piston controlling the operation of the pistonrod 216 to move the knife back and forth across the nail row. Thesolenoid 226 is in turn controlled by a switch 230 secured to a bracket232 that is pivotally connected to a support fastened to the conveyorundercarriage. The operation of the switch 230 is controlled by a switchactuator 236. When the switch is closed by the movement of the actuator236, the solenoid 226 is energized and the cylinder 218 operated to movethe knife 212 across the row of nails. The switch actuator 236 ispositioned to be engaged by a radially extending finger 238 that extendsfrom a pulley 240. The pulley 240 is rotatably mounted on a stud 242.The stud 242, threaded at both ends, extends through pulley 240 andbracket 232, and connects them together by nuts 244, 246 (see FIGURE25). The pulley 240 is driven, through belt 247, by a much larger pulley248 secured to the lower end of the shaft 250 to which sprocket 66 issecured. With this arrangement, the switch 230 will be actuated onceduring every revolution of pulley 240 which is moved in accordance withthe movement of notched strap 62. The diameters of the pulleys 240, 248will determine the length of the nail strip severed from the nail row.

It remains to note that the belt 247 is maintained taut by a tensionspring 252 connected at one end to a conveyor frame member 254 and atits other end to a screw 256 connected to the pivotally mounted bracket232.

Exit conveyor F A finished stick of nails 260 (FIGURE 32) is now readyto be placed in a nailer magazine. The stick 260, severed from theelongated row, is transported from the strap conveyor to a storage bindisposed adjacent thereto by a separate motor driven conveyor 262. Asshown in FIGURE 26, the strip 260, after leaving the notched straps, isdisposed on a belt 264 that is driven by an electric mbotor 266. Theopposite end of the belt is directed over a roller 268..

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The nails 2 that are dumped at random into the hopper 4 of vibratoryfeeder 6 are directed into an elongated row and fed into an orientatorthat empties into the downwardly inclined track assembly 8. The movementof the nails in the track is controlled so that they are placed in atiered relationship for disposition on a conveyor 28 in a nested array,on which conveyor they are to be adhered, taped together and cut intostrips of a preset length.

The track assembly 8 is angularly disposed relative to the conveyor 28and the lower section of the track is curved to guide the nails from thevertical position in which they first enter the track to the horizontalposition in which they leave the track and move on to the notched straps60, 62 that support the opposite ends of the nail shanks.

The nails disposed on the notched straps have their shanks parallel, butslightly spaced apart, and their heads in nested relationship. Thenotched straps are continuously driven in synchronism, whereby therelative position of the adjacent nails will be sustained all the timethey are in the conveyor.

The conveyor moves the nested nails to a first station C, where anadhesive is applied to both sides of the nails and to the spaces betweenadjacent nail shanks. At a subsequent station, the solvent contained inthe adhesive is carried off by a blower 172 to assist in curing theadhesive which is the illustrated embodiment is accomplished by aheating unit 174. Prior to the nails reaching the heater, the spacesbetween the adjacent nail shanks are eliminated by moving the nailshanks into abutting relationship. This latter function is accomplishedby moving the notched strap 62 closer to notched strap 60. After thenails leave the heater, they pass a taping station D, where a plastictape is applied to the liquid adhesive on both sides of the nail strip.Tape is positioned against the opposite sides of the adhered strip froma pair of tape rolls 176, 178 located above and below the nail strip,respectively.

The glued and taped strip is then cooled by the circulation of airthrough ducts 206, 203 by a blower 210 secured to the undercarriage ofthe conveyor 28.

After the strip leaves the blower, the elongated row is cut into shortlengths by a fluid actuated cutting assembly E, the operation of whichis controlled by a switch 236 that is in turn actuated in response to apredetermined movement of notched strap 62. Thus, the elongated row willbe out into a strip or sticks of a constant length for use in themagazine of a nailer. The severed sticks are ejected from the conveyorby a separately driven belt assembly located adjacent the end of theconveyor.

Although there is described an illustrative embodiment of the inventionin considerable detail, it will be understood that the description isintended to be merely exemplary rather than restrictive as many detailsmay be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention. For example, the conveyor could be used to adhere nailshaving heads shaped with a notch to permit juxtaposition of adjacentnail shanks. Such a nail is disclosed in United States Patent No.2,940,081, issued to A. G. Juilfs. In addition, a thermoplastic materialapplied in a molten state could be used, and the plastic tape could bereplaced with a paper tape. Furthermore, a heat sensitive tape havingsuificient thermoplastic material secured thereto to not only bond thetape to the nails, but also adhere the nails together, could be used.Such tape would be pressure applied to heated nails and would extendover the nail shanks and extrude therebetween. When such a tape wasemployed, the nails would be conveyorized, heated and cooled in a mannersimilar to that described herein. This would eliminate the necessity ofproviding for a separate application of adhesive. Other modificationscould include provisions for periodically leaving out a nail, whichwould eliminate the necessity of employing a cutofl device.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for assembling nails into adhered strips comprising aconveyor, said conveyor including a pair of endless nail supportmembers, said nail support members having their adjacent runs disposedsubstantially parallel and spaced to receive and support the shanks of aplurality of nails, means for driving said members in synchronism, eachof said members defining a plurality of notched sections, means fordisposing the nail shanks into the notches of said members at an angularrelationship relative to the direction of movement of said notchedmembers, whereby the nail heads are overlapped and the shanks areparallel, and means for applying adhesive to said nail shanks to securethe nail shanks together.

2. A machine for assembling nails as described in claim 1, includingmeans for receiving bulk nails and directing the nails to a trackassembly, said track assembly being adapted to direct the nails in a rowto said conveyor.

3. A machine for assembling nails as described in claim 1, includingmeans for guiding said nail support members in a predetermined path, andmeans for cutting the elongated strip of nails formed into sections of apredetermined length.

4. A machine for assembling nails in strip form, comprising a conveyoradapted to handle a plurality of nails having enlarged heads andcylindrical shanks, said conveyor including a pair of endless notchednail supporting members, means for supporting said notched nailsupporting members adjacent each other with their adjacent runs disposedin substantially parallel relationship and spaced apart a distance lessthan the length of the shanks, whereby the adjacent runs of the two nailsupporting 12 members can support said nails with their heads overlappedand shanks parallel, and means for driving said members in synchronism.

5. In a nail strip assembling machine, a conveyor comprising a pair ofsubstantially parallel notched straps, means for driving said straps insynchronism, said notched straps being designed to support the nails inparallel spaced relationship, means for adhering adjacent nailshankstogether, and means longitudinally spaced from the adhering meansto move the nail shanks into abutting relationship to assist in theformation of a tight compact adhered strip of nails.

6. A machine for collating nestable nails having enlarged heads andshanks including a conveyor made up of a pair of looped straps havingsubstantially parallel runs, said straps defining notch portions thatare constructed and arranged to support said nails in a predeterminedangular relationship with their heads located in a stepped arrangementand their shanks disposed parallel to each other, means for driving saidstraps in synchronism to maintain the angular relationship of saidnails, means for adhering adjacent nail shanks together, and meanslongitudinally spaced from said adhering nails to move one of saidnotched straps relative to the other to move the nail shanks in thedirection of movement of said conveyor whereby the nail shanks are movedinto abutting relationship along substantially their full length toprovide for a compact adhered strip of nails.

7. In a machine for assembling adhered strips of nails includingaconveyor comprising a pair of notched straps disposed in parallelrelationship for receiving and supporting a plurality of nails in nestedrelationship, means for driving said straps in synchronism, and meansfor adjusting the position of one of the straps relative to the otherwhereby the angle of the nails disposed on the notched straps can bevaried.

8. In a nail strip assembling machine including a conveyor adapted toreceive nails in a nested relationship, means for supplying nails tosaid conveyor with their heads overlapped and shanks parallel comprisinga track assembly angularly disposed relative to the direction ofmovement of the conveyor, said track being constructed and arranged toreceive the row of nails in a vertical position and move them into ahorizontal position for emptying on the conveyor, and means forcontrolling the movement of the nails in said track, whereby the nailsin said track are properly positioned for nesting on said conveyor.

9. A nail strip assembling machine including means for guiding aplurality of nails each having a shank and an enlarged head having achord section tangent to a projection of the shank onto a conveyor meansconstructed and arranged to receive the nails in a nested relationshipwith their heads overlapping and their shanks juxtaposed, said guidemeans including a pair of plates defining a track for said nails inwhich the chord section of the nail head is located against one wall ofone of the track members and the radially extending head portion restson the top of the other track member, means for controlling the movementof the nails down said track, said conveyor comprising a pair oftransversely spaced loopedrnotched straps, means for driving said strapsin synchronism, and means for adhering said nails together on saidconveyor.

10. A conveyor assembly for adhering a plurality of nails into anadhered strip, said assembly comprising a pair of parallel notchedstraps adapted to receive a plurality of nails having a generallycircular head portion and a chord portion tangent to a projection of thecylindrical shank portion, said nails being disposed on said straps withthe chord portion in engagement with the shank portion of an adjacentnail, means for adhering the shanks of the adjacent nails together,means for taping the nails together, and means for cutting the elongatedstrips of nails into short segments.

11. A nail collating machine comprising a track assembly for moving aplurality of nails, having a shank and an enlarged head with a chordportion tangent to a projection of the shank, into a horizontal positionwith their heads overlapped in a stepped relationship and their shanksjuxtaposed, a conveyor comprising a pair of transversely spaced loopedstraps adapted to receive the nails from said track and defining aplurality of generally semicircular notched portions into which theshanks of said nails are disposed in an angular position relative to themovement of said straps whereby the nails assume said position, meansfor driving said straps in synchronism, means for applying an adhesiveto said nails on said conveyor, means for curing said adhesive, meansfor taping the row of nails, means for cooling said nails, and means forcutting the elongated row of nails into short segments.

12. A nail strip assembling machine comprising means for receiving bulknails and directing the nails to an inclined track assembly, said trackassembly being adapted to direct the nails in a row with their headsoverlapped to a conveyor, said conveyor including a pair of endless nailsupport members, each of said members defining a plurality of notchedsections, said members having their adjacent runs disposed substantiallyparallel and spaced to receive and support the shanks of a plurality ofnails in said notches with the shanks at an angular relationshiprelative to the direction of movement of said notched members, with thenail heads overlapped and the shanks in parallel, means for guiding saidmembers in a predetermined path, means for applying adhesive and tape tosaid nails on said conveyor, means for cooling said nails, and means forcutting the elongated strip of nails formed into discrete segments.

13. A method of producing an adhered row of nested nails comprising thesteps of locating a plurality of nails on a conveyor with their headsoverlapped in a stepped arrangement and the shanks of adjacent nailsparallel to each other throughout substantially their full length,moving the conveyor to an adhesive applying section, and applying anadhesive to the nails to bind them together.

14. The method of producing an adhered strip of nestable nailscomprising the steps of locating a row of nails on a conveyor with theirheads overlapping and their shanks disposed parallel but slightly spacedapart, moving the conveyor to a source of adhesive, applying an adhesiveto one side of the row and the spaces between adjacent nails, and movingthe nail shanks together to increase the bond between adjacent nails.

15. A method of producing adhered strips of nails comprising aligning aplurality of nails in a row with the heads of the nails overlapped andtheir shanks juxtaposed on a continuously moving conveyor having notchednail supporting members, applying an adhesive and strips of tape to theshanks of the nails, and cutting the taped adhered row of nails intosections of a predetermined length.

16. A method of producing an adhered strip of nails comprising the stepsof receivin bulk nails, directing the nails to an inclined trackassembly, directing the nails in a row along said track assembly to aconveyor, supporting said nails within notches defined by said conveyorwith the nail heads overlapped in a stepped arrangement and the shanksof adjacent nails parallel to each other throughout substantially theirfull length, moving said conveyor to an adhesive and tape applyingsection, applying adhesive and tape to said nails on said conveyor,cooling said nails, and cutting the elongated strip of nails formed intosegments of a predetermined length.

17. In a nail strip assembling machine designed to collate nested nailsinto an elongated adhere array comprising a power-driven conveyor, a rowof nested nails on said conveyor, means for adhering the nails together,knife means to cut the row of adhered nails into short sections, motormeans for operating said knife means, control means operated by saidconveyor means to actuate said motor means whereby the knife means willbe operated upon a predetermined movement of the conveyor to cut theadhered row of nails into predetermined lengths.

18. In a machine for assembling nails into adhered strips including aconveyor means defining a plurality of notched sections for receivingand supporting the shank portions of a plurality of nails, means: fordisposing the nail shanks onto said conveyor in an angular relationshiprelative to the direction of movement of said conveyor, whereby the nailheads are overlapped and the shanks are juxtaposed, and means forsecuring the nail shanks together into an adhered strip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,511,769 6/1950 Chamberlain156305 X 2,625,287 1/1953 Holt et al. 156522 X 3,171,535 3/1965 Harris198-131 3,242,850 3/1966 Adams et a1. 156-522. X

HAROLD ANSHER, Primary Examiner. EARL M. BERGERT, Assistant Examiner.

15. A METHOD OF PRODUCING ADHERED STRIPS OF NAILS COMPRISING ALIGNING APLURALITY OF NAILS IN A ROW WITH THE HEADS OF THE NAILS OVERLAPPED ANDTHEIR SHANKS JUXTAPOSED ON A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING CONVEYOR HAVING NOTCHEDNAIL SUPPORTING MEMBERS, APPLYING AN ADHESIVE AND STRIPS OF TAPE TO THESHANKS OF THE NAILS, AND CUTTING THE TAPE ADHERED ROW OF NAILS INTOSECTIONS OF A PREDETERMINED LENGTH.